I Like Impossible
by blvdgirl
Summary: Set in Pete's World. Rose is busy living her life when she comes across an old friend. Will he trust her? Can she trust him? And will their adventure lead her back to where she wants to be?
1. Prologue: Guess Who?

Disclaimer- I don't own Doctor Who nor do I aspire to achieve any profit from this fic other than a couple of rave reviews...

A/N- I've got a couple stories in the works and if you've read them and are wondering where the next bits are then sorry. But, this one wanted to be written now, and the other stories all begged for the day off... Please read and review.

I LIKE IMPOSSIBLE  
Prologue: Guess who?

It had been five years. Five years since Bad Wolf Bay. Five years since she'd been ripped from a world she knew and a life she loved. Five years since she'd said goodbye to the Doctor, her Doctor. Five long years…

But, in many ways, they'd been five short years too. After all, she'd been busy, living a life day after day. The Doctor had called it the one adventure that he could never have, and, to honor him, she intended to make her stupid-little-ordinary life the most spectacular adventure possible. Rose Tyler had decided to live a fantastic life.

She'd proved herself to be invaluable at Torchwood; she was head of her own department now. Her working knowledge of alien technology was a strength, yes, but her true gifts lay in translation and alien negotiations. The translation bit was a residual gift of the Tardis—she didn't know how it was possible, but a part of her must still be connected to the ship somehow—but her genius in negotiation was all her own. She'd guessed it came from traveling round the universe, the fact that she was so good at understanding alien cultures and being able to sensibly broker treaties, but she was known in the near universe as a straight-shooter: often compassionate, rarely brash, and never rude. Rose Tyler, Defender of Earth.

She'd gone to school. It wasn't necessary, but she'd wanted to do it to prove to herself that she could and to have the added credential for all the stodgy wind-bags at Torchwood who'd initially been so suspicious of her. She'd graduated with top marks with a double major in Physics and History. Both of her parents had cried at the ceremony.

Her mum and Pete had had little baby John pretty quickly after being reunited, and Rose loved being an sister. She'd stayed on with them at the mansion because there was plenty of room and because she just liked being there. It had been awkward with Pete at first, neither quite knowing what to say to the other, but that'd faded. He hadn't thrown himself in front of a moving car to save the world or anything in his reality, but he had held all of Britain together after the whole mess with the Cybermen and that was certainly something. Plus, he felt so very much like the Dad she'd met in her own reality aside from the whole successful thing. She'd started to call him "Dad" after a couple of weeks, and he hadn't told her not too.

For the most part, Rose felt like she really had her life together. The one area where she felt like she still refused to move on was socially. She had her mates, Mickey and Jake, of course. She'd realized quite a long time ago that there really was nothing that she could do to shake off Mickey, and she loved him for it. After a couple of months in this world, he'd tentatively suggested that they might give the whole dating thing another go, but it hadn't taken too long to convince him that he wouldn't always want to be number two in her heart. He'd recently started dating another Torchwood employee, Addy or something, and he seemed pretty happy.

Rose had dated a couple of guys since crossing into this reality. She did it mostly because she thought that she should, not because she really wanted to. And, though, she really did try, the relationships had all failed rather quickly because the blokes, all pretty smart really, realized soon enough that there was a part of Rose Tyler's heart that was locked-away and off-limits no matter how hard they tried to break through. Rose Tyler, Breaker of Hearts.

Rose's phone rang. She woke with a start. Must be Torchwood, she thought gazing at her clock, no one else would ring at 3:15 in the morning. Argh, she fumed internally, I hope this isn't about those bloody Glistygian refugees again. She sat up, grabbed her cell phone from her beside table, and mumbled, "Hello."

An enthusiastic voice resounded in her ear, "Rose!"

"Yea, Jake." She said recognizing the owner of the buoyant voice and pulling her phone a little away from her head, "What is it?"

"You'll never guess who Torchwood just took into custody!"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Chapter 1: Alien Tech

I LIKE IMPOSSIBLE  
Chapter 1: Alien Tech

In less than an hour, Rose was standing outside a private holding room at Canary Wharf, fidgeting with her blouse buttons. She'd gone to a lot of trouble to track him down, but, now that he was here, she was nervous. What if he was nothing like she remembered? What if he didn't like her? What if, oh crap, what if she'd been getting her hopes up about this possibility for five years and it all came to nothing?

Jake must have sensed her unease. He pinched her lightly on the arm. "Hey, you! Snap out of it! Pull yourself together. What's the worst thing that can happen? Eh?"

Rose's brows furrowed. "He'll look at me like I've dribbled all over myself, have a great laugh at my expense, and then leave, I guess."

"Well, not so bad then." Jake smiled broadly and winked. "I do that nearly every day."

Rose rolled her eyes at him but appreciated his attempts to calm her down all the same. "Ok," she said straightening her skirt and squaring her shoulders, "I can do this. I'm a professional, yea?" And with a deep breath she opened the door.

Inside the holding room, a man was pacing. He was tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired, and had movie-star features. And, a grin, Rose remembered that could make a woman wilt. But he certainly wasn't grinning when she entered; he was fuming. When, she walked in he leaned back on his heels and gave her a quick cursory once over. "I hope you're in charge here, Cupcake, cause if I don't talk with the boss soon, I'll be finding my own way out." His American accent resounded off the plain white walls, bravado radiating off him in waves.

Rose smiled brightly. Not the most appropriate response in her situation, maybe, but she couldn't help it. He was so very familiar. The man, apparently, certainly wasn't expecting her reaction either, and he cocked his head, puzzled. "I'm sorry that you've been kept waiting so long," Rose began, "Captain Jack Harkness." She pronounced his name clearly and slowly, carefully watching his response.

Jack raised his eyebrows menacingly. "How in the hell do you know my name?"

Ok then, thought Rose glumly, maybe I shouldn't have gone with quite so direct an approach. However, on the outside she looked unfazed, thanks to years of negotiating with aliens. "Perhaps, you'd like to have a seat?" Rose asked, pulling out a chair at the small table and having a seat herself.

"No, I don't think so," Jack said eying the door and the room's video camera. "What's going on?"

"Please, Jack. Don't be foolish. " She implored him keeping steady eye contact. "It's not as though you're trapped. You haven't been disarmed-- I'm certain that you have your sonic blaster from Villengard stored safely away on your person somewhere as well as your..." she paused, a mischeivous gleam lighting her face, though she maintained eye contact, "Your back-up. And, we both know that you could always use your emergency teleporter to return to your ship at any time."

Jack, looking quite perplexed, pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her at the table. "Ok, Dollface, you've got my full attention. I don't know who you are, but you'd better be ready to start giving me some answers pretty quick."

"Fair enough," she replied, her confidence rising now that he'd had a seat. "My name's Rose Tyler, and I'm afraid that you've been brought here under false pretenses." She raised her eyebrows into a slightly guilty expression. "You see, I let it be known to several key contacts that I had an extrapolator that I wanted to sell."

"And, I'm to take it from your guilty expression that you don't."

Rose shook her head and poked her tongue through her teeth. "I'd hoped that you would eventually come here. I knew that you'd want the extrapolator, and, believe me, you weren't the only one. We had so many inquiries initially, it was ridiculous..." Here, she trailed off and smiled shyly. "Obviously, it's worked," her smiled faded because she couldn't read his features, was he still angry or anxious, or, oh for goodness sake, how was he supposed to react? She'd been in the room less than ten minutes with this man, and her facade was all but gone. "And now you're here and you're looking at me like I've got three heads." She concluded lamely.

Jack noticed her discomfort, and responded, "Hardly," while flashing her his heart-stopping grin. "Why were you trying to find me?" He asked, holding her eyes with his own. Then, he hesitated, thinking, his face becoming almost hopeful, "Have we met before?"

Quickly understanding what he was asking her, she answered, "No. Not through the Time Agency or those missing years, if that's what you mean."

"Then how?" He leaned back and looked her up and down again, a slight gleam entering his eye, "Cause I think I'd remember. "His suddenly flirtatious tone, made her blush slightly and smile again in that endearing way, and Jack certainly noticed. Boy, did he notice.

Rose rolled her eyes at his cockiness. "Because Jack Harkness, we once danced to Glenn Miller together during the London Blitz. Me with a Union Jack on my chest, and you trying to sell off a Chula ambulance as a warship."

"No, I don't think so," Jack said smiling, "Like I said, I'd remember."

Rose continued, "Because I traveled with you through time and space, and I know, I know that you are bigger on the inside than you are on the out."

Jack's face was a mess of confusion.

"Because I knew you, a different you, but so much the same... Because I know Jack Harkness from a parallel universe."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Chapter 2: An Offer

**A/N--Special thanks to Dybdahl for being my one and only reviewer so far... Please, if you're reading the story, you may as well give me some feedback--love it or hate it--I'll appreciate it.**

I LIKE IMPOSSIBLE  
Chapter 3: An offer

Jack Harness had heard a lot of things in his day, but this was by far the most far-fetched line he'd ever been thrown. "A parallel universe?"

"Yeah." Rose said, her voice unintentionally revealing her disappointement that he didn't believe her right away, and then she started babbling an inarticulate explanation. "You see, there are all sorts of parallel worlds just like this one, but all sort of different too. Like this one has zepplins and mine doesn't. And anyway, I came into this universe through a gap between the worlds just five years ago. My mum and a friend came with me. There was a war in my universe, and it all gets sort of complicated. You see, the cybermen..."

Jack rose to his feet. "Kitten, you can just stop there. Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying." He strode towards the door and grasped the handle

"Like I said, it's Rose, and, 's okay, I figured you might not believe me," she said standing as well, her features composed once again as she smoothed her skirt. Jack couldn't help but think that he'd rarely seen an expression so unguarded and beautiful. "But, before you leave, at least let me tell you why I've done my best to manipulate time and space to bring you here, cause like I said, I don't have an extrapolator for sale."

"Fine." He responded nonchalantly, hand still on the knob. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Because, Jack Harkness," her brown eyes captured him with her intensity, shining so brightly in the lights of the room that they seemed almost golden, "In my world I watched you change from a con-man to an intergalatic hero. I've seen you put the good of millions before yourself, and, like I once told a friend, bloke-wise, that's up there with flossing." At this, she offerred him a slightly cheeky grin. "And, all that being the case, I'd like to offer you a job here at the Torchwood Institute."

"A job?" He asked, surprised.

"Yeah, that's it. A job." She paused, then added, "A job helping to protect the planet."

And suddenly, Jack laughed, a biting and bitter laugh. "Sweatheart, you may think you know me, but if there is an alternate me in an alternate world, I doubt even he'd be stupid enough to fall for something like that." And, with that, he left the room.

Jake had been waiting outside the room, and as Jack Harkness swaggered past him still laughing contemptuously, his heart fell. Not that he thought they needed this Harkness character at Torchwood, but because he knew how much Rose had been wanting it. For some reason, she thought that this Captain Jack was some sort of hero, but for all their intel on the guy he certainly didn't seem like one. He was a con-man and a reputedly bad character. All in all, Jake was glad the man had walked away from Rose's offer, but Rose wouldn't be...

He entered the holding room prepared to start pickicg up the pieces of this disaster. After all, for her brave front, Rose was still really quite fragile about stuff from the other universe... What he found there, however, surprised him. There, still standing and looking at the door, was Rose Tyler, but, instead of looking sad and crestfallen that he "hero" had just walke out the door, she was smiling one of her brightest, most confident smiles. Jake had only seen that smile a few times, and, generally only in instances where the fate of the world was undecided. A wild, gleeful, adventurous smile.

Seeing him walk in, Rose nearly bounced for excitement. "Jake," she began, her eyes glowing, "Oh, Jake, we've got him! We've so got him!" Not understanding where her certainty or excitement came from, Jake allowed himself to be hugged by the estatic Rose. But he couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't be a good thing if they never saw the former time-agent again.

Meanwhile, Captain Jack Harkness had returned to his specially-modified Chula warship, his mood unexplicably light. As soon as he reached the ship, he called up the ships computer and searched for any and all information regarding one Rose Tyler, 21st century, Earth. He justified it as simple curiousity mixed with a bit of attraction, but, whatever the real reason, Jack soon found enough questions and half-information to keep him amazed and perplexed well into the dawning day.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Chapter 3: Not the Doctor

I LIKE IMPOSSIBLE  
Chapter 3: Not the Doctor

Jack Harkness leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He'd been researching the enigmatic Rose Tyler all morning and had come to no satisfactory conclusions about her.

Rose Marion Tyler. Age 25. No record of birth. Residence: The Tyler Estate, London, England. Parents: Pete and Jackie Tyler (Oddly enough, the mother went missing for three years after the Cybermen incident, then reappeared five years ago--no logical explanation for her absence seemed to be recorded anywhere. The tabloids at the time had mentioned a separation and a reconciliation, with her supposedly living abroad in the interim, but that was all.) Brother: John Tyler, nearly 5. Schooling: no records before University; graduated with honors. Employed by the Torchwood Institute for the past five years, before that no work history. In fact, before five years ago, there was no evidence at all that Rose Marion Tyler existed.

Of course, in the past five years, she'd been very busy indeed, if one knew where to look because most of her activities certainly hadn't been made public record... She'd thwarted a Sycorax invasion (the records seemed to indicate that some sort of sword fight had been involved--Jack would have liked to have seen that), she'd negotiated at least four impossible alien treaties in addition to a dozen easy ones, she'd gone on two of earth's first three interstellar missions, and she'd been part of the British delagation to the first Earth Council on Extraterrestrial Affairs.

Attempting to make more sense of the situation, he'd called several contacts whom he thought might have had interactions with either her or Torchwood in the last five years and gotten a variety of reports about her. One former colleague had called her courageous and smart. Another had called her brilliant-beyond-her-years. In fact, he got at least a dozen reports of that nature, about how she was clever and compassionate and honest and all that sort of thing. And then, a final inquiry from a slightly shiftier source had intriguingly called her "bloody scary."

Rubbing one hand through his hair and lifting his martini glass in the other, he stared at his computer console, on it were two photographs of Rose Tyler. One was quite recent, taken at a Torchwood function of some kind. Her hair was pulled up off of her shoulders and she was wearing an elegant pink dress. In it she was smiling at that stooge who'd been waiting outside in the hallway today and another guy that he didn't recognize, but her smile, while sincere, was no where near as bright as the one she'd given him when she'd first seen him. The other was the first photograph that he'd been able to find of her, from just five years ago. It had been taken by one of Torchwood's internal cameras. In it, she's wearing a fuzzy blue sweater, sitting against a plain white wall, with her knees drawn up to her chest, fresh mascara trails clearly indicating that'd she'd been weeping just moments before the picture was taken... Taking a big swallow of his drink, he leaned forward and, touching the screen, asked aloud, "Rose Tyler, who the hell are you?"

While Jack was trying to puzzle out Rose Tyler, Rose had spent the morning hard at work. She'd given Jake the morning off after his efforts of the night before, but she'd invited him to lunch at the mansion. She was calling a "family meeting", she said, and he'd better well be there. She'd called her Dad and Mickey as soon as the hour was reasonable, and told them to keep lunch free as well. So, at the appointed hour, the Tyler family along with Jake and Mickey gathered in the Tyler kitchen to discuss Rose's exciting news over cucumber sandwiches.

"Ok, sweetheart," Jackie began in a guarded tone, "You've got us all here together, and you're sitting there nearly glowing. And, I just wanna know what for?" Jackie was nervous. Rose was almost flying, she seemed so happy, and Jackie had had enough experience with Rose to suspect that that might not be a good thing. When they'd first crossed over into this world and Rose'd started working for Torchwood she'd gotten like this nearly half-a-dozen times, and each time it was because she'd cooked up some sort of scheme to get herself back to the Doctor. But, inevitably, Rose's plans had failed and her daughter had crashed in despair, though no one outside the family had seen it. It had been over three years, since Rose had last concocted a fool-headed strategy, and Jackie had thought that she'd finally settled in and given up. Now she feared that she'd been mistaken, that her precious Rose was once again setting herself up for disappointment.

"Mum, Dad, Mickey," Rose began, trying to keep herself contained. "We found him."

Her parents and Mickey looked at her a little dumbfounded. Which "him" was she talking about? Did she mean "the Doctor"? Cause if she meant the Doctor that might not be a good thing, or it might be a great thing. There were too many possibilities to even begin to consider...

Jake, reading their confusion, aided them by adding, "Not the Doctor." He paused, noting that both Mickey and Jackie immediately looked happier at that pronouncement while Pete looked just a little deflated. He quickly realized that both Mickey and Jackie would rather Rose always be here with them even if that meant she'd be a little unhappy than back with the Doctor... "She means Jack Harkness. We found Jack Harkness this morning."

"Really?" Pete asked, grinning broadly. "So your extrapolator trap finally worked, did it?"

Rose smiled at him. Though he wasn't technically her birth father, he was so much more sympathetic towards her plight than the others. Maybe it was because he was so much of a dreamer himself, but he didn't like to see her content to have her wings clipped, not if he could encourage her to fly. "It did. I met with him this morning. Offered him a job, yea? Just like I told you I would."

Mickey's body language had totally changed. His relief that Rose hadn't found the Doctor had been rapidly replaced by a seething jealousy that she had found her Captain Jack. His memories of the con-man and their adventure in Cardiff was clouded by the fact that Rose had left him then, again, to chase after the Doctor and Jack. And he was burning inside just knowing that by only meeting with her for a few minutes in the morning that he'd somehow made her smile like the old-Rose, like the Doctor's Rose had smiled. He crossed his arms and asked stiffly, "And what'd our man have to say?"

Rose, not noticing Mickey's negative reaction to the situation, quickly answered. "He turned me down flat. He was so rude, so arrogant and contemptuous. It was perfect. Perfect Jack Harkness."

"But, sweetheart," Jackie queried, puzzled. "How is that perfect? If he turned the job down, if he was rude about it..."

"Mum," Rose continued unfazed. "You'd just have to know him, Mum. He'll come around. He'll say yes." Her eyes grew bigger and more dazzling, flecked with golden light. "And, then he'll become the man that I know he can be, a better man. He's got so much potential to do good, to help protect this planet... It'll be like it was when he was with the Doctor. "

"But, love," Jackie responded softly, her words careful, "You're not the Doctor."

"No, Mum, I'm not. But to save Jack, to save this world, I just know that I've got to try to be..."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. Chapter 4: Long Day

A/N--Thank you Puzzledhermit, Beach Dog, and Dybdahl for taking the time to review.

I LIKE IMPOSSIBLE  
Chapter 4: Long Day

Rose hadn't anticipated an answer right away; she hadn't. She'd assumed that Jack would take his time, but, as the days became weeks and the weeks became months, she eventually had to concede to herself that he might not ever come around.

To her friends and family, the waiting was nearly as tortuous as it was for Rose because as more and more time passed they watched her lose more and more of her luster, fading into a shadow. They watched her closely for any hint of a breakdown, as though it were imminent.

Rose couldn't help but notice that everyone was treating her like a delicate vase about to shatter, and she did the best she could to wear a brave face. After all, she'd had five years of practice. And so she went about her daily business as though nothing was bothering her, hardly acknowledging even to herself how very disappointed she was.

Business went on as usual at Torchwood. And exactly one month, three weeks, and two days after she had offered Jack Harkness a job, she sat in a large conference room at Canary Wharf and attempted to wrap up an exceptionally challenging negotiation.

"And so," she addressed the delegates of two alien species and their earth liaisons in a voice that hardly belied her exhaustion at the conclusion of twenty-seven hours of intense debate. "The Glistygians will henceforth honor the sovereignty of the Cologial Government while traveling on any of the three worlds in the Meelith System and in the Dovess Corridor. In return, the Cologial Government will immediately initiate the aforementioned steps to formerly acknowledge and promote the sovereignty of the Glistygian Government on the Moon of Astorgia before the conclusion of the next Meelithian Cycle—two years and 37 earth days from today." At this Rose Tyler looked to the leader of the Cologial Delegation. "Ambassador?"

The Cologian Delegate, a humanoid triped with greenish skin, rose and spoke in a high voice. "We accept these terms, and, as a gift of peace, we offer the Glistygians these seeds from the Farms of Meelia." The delegate placed a gold box upon the table, opening it to reveal several packets of seeds sealed and labeled.

Then Glistygian Delegate, a squat biped with no arms, stood on the opposite side of the table. "We also accept these terms, and we gratefully accept the gift of our brethren. In return, we offer our own gift of peace," he blinked three times and a piece of parchment appeared on the table in front of him, "The schematics of a Havish Satellite."

The Cologian Delegate looked quite pleased with his gift as he replied, "In the name of the Cologial Government, I accept your gift."

"Right then," said Rose, also standing now. "Thank you all for your hard work on this one. I am certain that the terms that we've agreed to, while difficult, will prove the best course of action in your situation. As a representative of Torchwood, I want to thank you for your cooperation and for welcoming our delegates into your negotiations. I believe that you've already met with earth's ambassadors to discuss travel and trade arrangements."

"Miss Tyler," the Cologian responded with a bow, "My government would like to offer The Torchwood Institute our thanks for hosting our discussions and you for acting as an objective party. Please accept a gift of peace..."

The delegate held out a small golden sphere which strongly reminded Rose of another sphere she'd once been offered as a gift of peace. But she shook her head, "I'm sorry. Torchwood policy prohibits my acceptance of personal gifts, but I accept the offer in all good faith and thank you for your sincere good wishes." The Cologian nodded his head in acceptance of her words.

Rose smiled all of the delegates out of the room, shaking hands and nodding politely as necessary, but when they were all gone she slumped down in her seat. She hadn't even realized that she'd fallen asleep when she felt herself being gently shaken. She opened her eyes groggily, only to see piecing eyes and a wry grin. "Oy, Ianto," she mumbled, "Did I fall asleep? What time is it?"

"Going on three in the morning," the Welshman replied.

"Well, that's great," said Rose quickly jumping to her feet, a look not unlike panic on her face. "Mum's likely having a proper fit." Then, she studied the man before her and asked in an entirely different tone, "What are you doing in this early?"

"You mean this late. I haven't left yet, either. But, as I was heading out the door, Ernie told me that you were still in the building. Seems as though Carl wasn't able to make it in tonight and Ernie couldn't leave the lobby unattended; he asked if I could pop in on you before heading out."

"Thank you. That Ernie really is a sweetheart, isn't he? Guess I should stop by my office and grab my things."

"Do you want me to wait? Walk you out?"

Rose shook her head, "No. I'm up four floors from here. Besides, it's late, and you have an earlier day than me tomorrow, I think."

Ianto nodded, "Right then. See you tomorrow."

Rose nodded, "Yeah, tomorrow. Oh, and tell Ernie that I'm on my way."

Rose took one elevator up, and Ianto took another one down. Rose dutifully filed her paperwork on the Cologian/Glistygian negotiation—she had learned early on that putting paperwork off was a very bad idea. Then, she did a final check of her email before shutting down her work station. She had one email from Mickey checking in around 11:30 while she'd still been in negotiations letting her know that both her boys had gotten in safe from a tricky field assignment. Thank God!

In the lift to the lobby, Rose checked for messages on her cell phone, still the same one that the Doctor modified all those years ago. One from Jake repeating what Mickey had told her in her email, that they were safe and their mission successful, one from her mother asking where in the bloody hell she was, and one from Pete telling her not to worry about her mother as she was finally sleeping but to please call and check in.

Rose was halfway across the lobby, dialing Pete's number when someone called her name. "Miss Tyler?"

She turned and stopped; Pete's phone began to ring in her ear. "Oh, hey, Ernie. Thanks for sending Ianto up to check on me. I fell asleep in the conference room again."

Ernie smiled at her warmly from behind the security desk. "Thought it might be something like that. You were at it forever with that one."

"Yeah, but I think we got it worked out pretty well."

"I hope so, Miss Tyler." Ernie nodded solemnly. "Before you go, someone left you a package." And, he extended a small square package wrapped in brown paper.

Shifting her coat and her briefcase to one arm, she took the package from Ernie, and then mouthed her good-bye because at that moment Pete's voicemail came on. "Hi, Dad," she began.

She exited Torchwood Tower with one last wave over her shoulder. She was halfway across the empty parking lot and just slipping her cell phone back into her pocket when the box she was carrying pulsed. Off-balance and surprised, Rose stumbled, briefcase, coat, and package all flying as she put her hands out to catch her self.

And there, laying flat on her chest in the parking lot, Rose Tyler watched speechless as the brown package sitting mere inches from her face burst into flames and as a small golden sphere levitated from within the burning package just before her nose. Then, as the sphere opened, Rose Tyler lost consciousness neither seeing nor feeling the figures approaching behind her from out of the night

TO BE CONTINUED...


	6. Chapter 5: High Stakes

A/N- Thank yous to Jammies2000, hall442, and Xlittle-pyroX for the reviews. And thanks to everyone for your patience. I'm in the middle of a difficult move and haven't had much time for writing. Hope you continue to enjoy (and if so, please review—all comments welcome).

I LIKE IMPOSSIBLE

CHAPTER 5: High Stakes

It took Rose Tyler less than two seconds after sitting up to realize that sitting up was a bad idea. Her head ached like someone had hit her with a brick and her eyes smarted in the half-light. She didn't know what had knocked her out, but she quickly surmised that it hadn't been gentle on her system. However, she didn't pass out again, and, after a moment, she felt her head begin to clear. Ok, she thought in her peppiest of thinking tones (one that in her mind mimicked her beloved Doctor): let's just assess our situation, shall we?

The room in which she found herself was dimly lit. She was garbed in a make-shift hospital gown and was lying on what seemed to be a medical table. The room was white with an air of sterility and filled with little other than blipping monitors of some sort. She looked at her left arm, unsurprised to see an IV had been inserted in it: that would explain her disorientation, not to mention the pounding in her head.

There was no one in the room with her. "Hello?" she queried hesitantly, testing her voice. "Hello?"

She intuitively felt rather than saw movement over her left shoulder, and carefully turned her head. There, she saw an enormous observation window, and behind it sat two Cologians watching her closely.

She stood up carefully, not wanting to swoon, even though her anger was growing like a storm, and glared at her captors. "What in the bloody hell is going on?"

**drwhodrwodrwho**

It had been a long week. Too long. Rose was missing, and despite a fully mobilized effort from Torchwood, they had no leads. She'd been abducted somewhere between the front door and her car, and they didn't even have any footage on tape—a glitch in the system that just couldn't have been accidental.

Mickey had been working all week almost without sleep trying to uncover something, anything that might get them started, but so far to no avail. And, as he took a seat at the corner pub and ordered a drink, he couldn't help thinking that this is when they needed the Doctor. Now, when Rose was missing Mickey was certain that the Doctor would know what to do.

Slowly and carefully, Mickey reviewed the few details that they did have again as he sipped his drink. He was both startled and annoyed when a tall, dark-haired man wearing a long coat appeared at his side out of nowhere and pounded his fist on the bar counter. An irritated, "What?" was all that tumbled out of Mickey' mouth before he realized who it was that was interrupting his reflections… There with a scowl that could intimidate armies of men and aliens alike, stood Captain Jack Harkness, and he did not look happy.

"You're Ricky Smith?" Harkness asked in an impatient voice.

"It's Mickey, but yeah," Mickey looked dumb-founded. "My gosh! You're him. Rose said but… You're really him. You're…"

Jack cut him off, "Can we skip the bumbling formalities? I'm here to let you in on some intelligence that I just received regarding your friend Rose Tyler."

At that Mickey jumped to his feet, his voice rising. "Rose. You've got information about Rose? What is it? Where is she?"

Jack looked around the bar. It was crowded with a down-trodden post-work sort of crowd most of whom were sitting with their eyes glued to the polo match showing on the big screen though a few of them seemed to be taking notice of Mickey's conspicuous behavior. He gestured that Mickey should follow him, and he led him out behind the pub into a narrow ally.

Once outside, Mickey asked again, "What've you heard about Rose?"

Jack Harkness studied Mickey in the faint backlight of the city, trying to reconcile what he knew with what he saw. The man standing before him was not what he'd been expecting. Young, boyish even, and apparently idiotic for all Jack could tell based on his speech and behavior in the bar, but the files that the computer had on this Ricky or Mickey or whoever he was said otherwise. According to his computer, he was one of Torchwood's most notorious field agents: courageous, daring, and clever. Heck, the guy was even mentioned in one of Jack's old textbooks from the Academy.

In addition to the discomfort that Jack felt to find Mickey less than he expected, he was doubly discomforted and perplexed by his own actions. Why had he dropped what was turning into quite a lucrative endeavor in the Ontari System and hurriedly sought out the young man standing before him with such intensity when he'd intercepted the transmission about Rose? Why in the hell was he allowing himself to get involved with these people? Emotionally involved? He never allowed himself to get emotionally involved. And, they were strangers, lunatics who believed in parallel worlds of all things. So, why should he care?

But, he knew the answer: Rose Tyler. Rose Tyler had looked at him, really looked at him like she knew him, and named him a hero. Her simple words, her unbelievable story, and her implicit faith—they had snared him somehow. And now she was in danger.

"She's been adducted by aliens."

"Obviously," Mickey replied abruptly, surprising the jaded Captain. "But which aliens?"

"That I don't know. What I can tell you is that there are currently several bounties on your friend's head: the price of being good at what she does, I guess. The highest one that I know of is to the tune of 300,000 Galactic Credits, an amount comparable to half a million pounds here on earth, and is being offered by the Sycorax ."

Mickey nodded grimly, "Not the nicest bunch."

Jack continued, "But, apparently the bounty hunters that took her are hoping to acquire more than that, and that's the good news because that means that there's still some time. They've advertised her captivity, and they plan to auction her off tomorrow evening near the slave pits off the Delta platform in the Radadish System."

"Not bloody likely." Mickey's voice was venomous. He looked at Jack, "So, what's the plan?"

"The plan?"

"Yeah, how're we gonna rescue Rose?"

"That Ricky or Mickey Smith is totally up to you and the Torchwood Institute. I was just passing on the information." And with that Jack turned and started walking up the ally. "But, for what it's worth," he called over his shoulder, "Good luck."

"Wait, you just can't walk away! " Mickey yelled. "Rose's been kidnapped! Her life is on the line! You've got to do something!"

"Do something! Do something! I've already done something. For no explicable reason, I've come quite far out of my way, at no small loss to myself mind, to tell you. So, go rally your Torchwood buddies and go save the girl, kid. "

Mickey didn't hesitate. He chased after Jack and threw himself between the conman and the ally's exit. "No way, man, no way. You didn't come all this way just to back off and leave the idiots to rescue Rose."

"Oh didn't I?" Jack questioned sardonically.

Mickey sized him up and smirked, "No. For two reasons. One, it's just not your style. And, two, Torchwood doesn't have a spaceship capable of making that trip in time."


	7. Chapter 6: Truths

I LIKE IMPOSSIBLE

CHAPTER 6: Truths

Rose Tyler stood tall, put her hands on her hips, and curled her lips into her most frightening scowl. She was righteously pissed off. "I mean it. What the hell is going on?" Her voice was shrill and dangerous. "I've just finished a round of proper negotiations with you lot. And, now I find myself drugged, in a less than flattering hospital gown, and taken somewhere against my will and via spaceship by the sound of it! All of which is in direct violation of at least six statues of the Shadow Proclamation!"

The Cologian doctors watched her unflinchingly through the glass, there taut green faces unmoving. So Rose, her fury rising, grabbed her IV drip and smashed its base against the glass, shattering it. At that moment, the Cologian ambassador entered the observation area and aimed a sonic blaster at her. "Are you quite done yelling for the moment, Miss Tyler?"

Rose hardly flinched, though she lowered the IV she was wielding. "I guess that depends on whether or not you have some answers for me."

The ambassador nodded, almost politely, a gesture which endeared him to Rose not at all."I will answer your questions, though it is unlikely that your anger will be completely appeased. Would you like to sit? I realize that the sedatives in your system must still be affecting your motor functions."

"I'll stand, thanks." She answered defiantly, in spite of the tiredness that seemed to pulse through her muscles at his words.

"Very well." He continued, still pointing his gun levelly at her. "Yes, you are on a ship. We are on route to the Radadish System. We have been travelling for approximately one week of your earth time."

Rose was shocked. "I've been asleep for a week?"

"Yes. We deemed it best to keep you sedated. We had heard rumors of your strength and tenacity, not completely ungrounded it seems," he gestured to the remnants of the window, "And we acted accordingly."

"But why am I here? Why am I a hostage? You agreed to the negotiations; you signed the treaty. It was a square deal all around for both your people and the Glistygians…" Rose's face showed her frustration and confusion.

"Oh, yes." The Ambassador nodded benignly, "The Cologial Government agrees. We fully intend to honor the treaty, and we are most grateful to you for your efforts. The task of aligning two peoples with such different interests in a peaceable manner had seemed impossible to us. But, yet again your reputation preceded you, and you did indeed accomplish it. It was masterfully executed, one might almost say miraculously so."

Rose raised an eyebrow at the disconcerting praise. "Then, why?"

"For the oldest of all reasons, Miss Tyler," he responded coldly. "For money."

-DOCTORWHO-

Jack Harkness finalized the settings on the navigational computer and initiated the ship's hyper-drive. Then, he checked his watch. It would be close, but they should make it to the Delta Platform before the end of the auction. He turned in his chair to examine his two nearly silent passengers, Mickey Smith and Jake Simmonds, and sighed. This was going to be an interesting flight.

Mickey had insisted on a brief meeting with the Head of Torchwood before departing, and, before Jack knew what was happening, he'd been at a large home just outside London with a teary-eyed Jackie Tyler wrapped around his neck in tears. And, while he was sure the woman had her charms, he could have done without her slobbering stranglehold, especially when he knew that he could already be well on his way to rescue her daughter from mortal danger if it wasn't for blundering Mickey-boy. And, why in the name of anything holy did he even care? A reoccurring question, he decided to his chagrin, that he would have to leave unanswered.

Fortunately, Pete Tyler seemed to have his head on straight. He calmed Jackie enough to detach her from Jack's neck and sent her off to fetch and pack a change of clothes for Rose, making some light joke about knowing she'd want them after a week. Then, he had Jack report the intel that he had offered Mickey. When he'd finished explaining what he knew, Jack was surprised to hear Pete tell Mickey to go grab some guns and gear from inside the house.

And quite suddenly, Jack found himself alone, face-to-face with Peter Tyler. Unlike Mickey, this man walked with a bearing that Jack couldn't help but respect. The word on the street was that Pete Tyler was a powerful and intelligent man, a worthy colleague or adversary, and, in less than five minutes of interaction, Jack could only confirm the validity of his reputation.

Pete studied the man before him with the expression of a man trying to solve a riddle. Jack found the scrutiny a little intimidating, if the truth be told, but he squared his shoulders and met the man's gaze. After a moment, Pete shook his head slightly as though unable to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Then he cleared his throat and began quite civilly, "We've not met properly. Not really." Jack made a motion as though to speak, but Pete silenced him with his hand.

"I've heard rather contradictory things about you, Captain Jack Harkness." Pete continued, "All of the intelligence that we've got about you at Torchwood would indicate that you are nothing more than an intergalactic con-man. No threat to earth, but with a shrewd reputation for guarding your own interests only." Jack heard the nearly accusatory tone in Pete's voice, and he shrugged his shoulders almost lightly. He wouldn't show this little man that his words were touching unexpected marks.

"However, Rose," Pete paused and his voice softened, "My daughter, Rose, believes that you are something more, that you have something more to offer the universe than a trail of petty crime and swagger." He smiled the smile of a man who has lost something precious, and Jack, who had tried to harden himself against the mans accusations from mere seconds before, felt his heart stir at the sadness of that smile.

"I could take you into custody right now," Pete said, gesturing to several men who seemed to materialize around Jack out of nowhere. "Torchwood could commandeer your ship and send in a team to get Rose." He paused, watching a flush of anger fill the Captain's chiseled features. "However," he spoke with the deep confidence of a man who feels he is right. "I am not going to do that. I'm going to trust you. I'm going to send two field agents, my best two, boys I know and care for like sons, with you to retrieve my daughter… I'm going to trust you to bring her back to us safely because, and this truly is the most important part, I'm going to trust you to save Rose because I know without a doubt that she would trust you to do it. And, if I've learned to believe in anything in the five years that I've had Rose in my life, I've learned to believe in her."

Mickey returned with gear, Jackie returned with a bag (and an incredibly brave and resolved countenance considering the circumstances), and Jake showed up. Then, they had left.

And now… Now Jack was on a mission to retrieve a girl that he hardly knew with two "heroes" who hardly seemed up to the job. Moreover, he suddenly felt like meeting Rose's parents had been a mistake. It had almost seemed like they were giving him their blessing and with it some great responsibility in rescuing their daughter. And so, he eyed his companions warily and, in exasperation, asked the question that couldn't be helped. "So, just who in the hell is Rose Tyler?"

Jake looked across the ship to Mickey, a bright gleam in his eye, and Mickey smiled in return. Then, he turned to Jack almost cheekily, "Good thing this is a longish trip…"


	8. Chapter 7: The Stuff of Legends

I LIKE IMPOSSIBLE

Chapter 7: The Stuff of Legends

Jack had heard a lot of tales in his days: folk tales, ghost tales, tall tales, fairy tales: but the one that Mickey Smith weaved for him as they pushed his ship into an inch of her capabilities on a rescue mission that spanned galaxies was unlike anything that he had ever heard before. And, as he listened, the snare that Rose Tyler's smile had set weeks before began to close even more tightly around the hardened con man's heart…

_Once upon a time, in a universe far, far away, there was a girl named Rose Tyler. Her parents lived on one of London's council estates, both doing a little of this and __a little of that, trying to scrimp and save and build a life. The girl's__ fat__her died before she could walk, but__excepting that, __her childhood was__ normal. __She made friends, started school, and lived an ordinary, run-of-the-mill life.__ Still__, she was vibrant and lively and beautiful, and__, in spite of the estate walls that crowded her and tried to block the view,__ she had dreams that were bigger than the sky. _

_One day, she met a boy who told her lies, and she __believed them__. She left school and her mom and her friends all because she believed in this boy and because she'd always dared to dream of bigger things. __The liar__ broke her heart,__ as liars are prone to do,__ and she__ crashed__ back __hard onto the ground of __her world__ leaving dreams of the sky behind her_

_ She __moved back home with her mum, __took a job in a shop__ and sta__rted dating an average bloke. And__ that could well have been the end of her average, ordinary__ story: w__ork and beans-on-toast__ and __watching __the __telly__. But then,__ she met the Doctor, an alien of mythic proportions__ who travelled __about __the universe in__ a crazy blue box. He scooped the gi__r__l__ out of ordinary and gave her all of time and space._

_She travelled with him in his magic box for two years across the universe and back ag__ain.__ And gradually__t__his girl who was born to love fell again—fell for the __Doctor__ and for__ the kind of life he led, a__ li__fe in which a person stood her__ ground and fought for right regardless of the consequences. __Together, the Doctor and Rose encouraged the good, thwarted the bad, and __saved the day time and time and time __again__It truly was a fairy tale__, a fantastic life_

_But then came Torchwood and the war, and Rose lost her Doctor. She crashed hard to the ground again, but this time to the ground of a n__ew reality, the ground of __a different universe. And although she was battered and bruised from the fall__ this time__ she didn't forfeit her dreams of the sky. Now that she'd tasted the Doctor's way of living, she swore __that she'd__ be faithful to it. She'd flourish on__ the ground upon which she stood__ and continue to be extraordinary_

"Which is why," Mickey concluded. "Rose has been working at Torchwood for the past five years, working out treaties and the like. She's trying to protect earth the best way that she knows." He paused, "That's also why she came looking for you. She and the Doctor travelled with a Jack Harkness in the other universe. A conman who became a hero… She thinks that you have that potential, too." He paused and studied the man's tightly masked face. "I hope she's right. For all of our sakes."

When Rose Tyler had told Jack Harkness that she'd met him in a parallel universe, he wanted to believe that she was either completely crazy or that she was trying to play him somehow. But the way that she had looked at him, had seemed to see through him and into him, had stuck with him like a virus. And so he'd done the research which had been pretty conclusive. Until five years ago, Rose Tyler hadn't existed. And, here were Mickey Smith and Jake Simmonds, two men that he'd read about in his fifty-first century schoolbooks, telling him that she had fallen through a gap in space and time… The story really was too fantastic to believe, but he was starting to buy it anyway. And that scared him, maybe more than anything else had ever scared him.

So, Jack did what he always did when he felt uncomfortable; he deflected. He changed the subject to redirect the conversation onto more comfortable ground. "So, you and she were together?" He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"We dated for a while, yeah." Mickey replied coldly, not liking the Captain's leer.

"Lucky you," Jack expressed almost wistfully, but he was intentionally trying to bait the boy. "I only met her the once, but she made quite an impression. Great eyes and that mouth—I'll tell you I've had dreams about that mouth… But, then she dumped you for this Doctor guy without even blinking, right? That must've stung."

A dark look filled Mickey's face, and Jake sensing trouble grabbed his arm. "Come on, mate, calm down. Remember what Rose always says about the designated driver. Besides," Jake added, turning his intense eyes upon Jack though he continued to address his friend, and Jack thought that he could read a glimmer of pity in them. "He's just trying to goad you. 'Cause, you see, he's beginning to believe you, and well he should because the story's true. But if he does believe you, then he's gotta believe that Rose might be right. He might have to be more than what meets the eye, and that scares 'im to death. So he's taking the coward's way and putting you on the defensive. I'd try not to mind it much."

Jack could only be amazed at Jake's perceptive assessment. He gave the younger man a slight nod of respect and then gave a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders, as though he neither agreed not disagreed with the appraisal and didn't think it was much worth discussing.

Mickey's anger seemed to deflate as he too processed Jake's words. "'S okay," he mumbled. "Rose and I were together, yeah. I was the ordinary bloke who she settled on after Jimmy Stones broke her. I've known her for her whole life, and I've loved her for all of it. I always will. But, she made her choice a long time ago, and it wasn't me. It's been eight years since I travelled with Rose and the Doctor, eight years and more than nine if you count from the time I first met him. I felt bad about it, yeah, but it was a long time ago. Still, she's my oldest mate, and I love her. I want her to be safe and happy, or at least as happy as she can be without the Doctor. 'S why I'm here. That's why I need your help to get her back safe and sound. "

Mickey continued, his tone becoming less confessional and more confrontational. "You can sit there and try to look smug, but you may as well try to understand this, cause you asked who Rose Tyler is." Then, he smirked and looked directly past Jack's mask, "Rose Tyler is a woman worth fighting and dying for, the more you know her the more you'll think so. And you, Captain Jack Harkness, you're not as remote as you'd like to think you are. And you'd better watch out, mate. Coo, you're in over your head already, and you don't even know it… It's easy to fall for her, but its no easy thing to love Rose Tyler."

-DOCTORRWHO-

Rose examined her surroundings carefully. Several Cologians armed with blasters had escorted her to a small suite, locking her inside. They said that they'd be arriving at their destination in about two hours, and directed her to use the time to eat and clean herself up. Indignant though she was at her captivity, Rose determined that the best thing to do under the circumstances was to utilize the time she'd been allotted to as much advantage as possible.

Her clothes, the clothes that she'd been wearing when she'd been abducted from the Torchwood parking lot, were laundered and laying across a slab that was clearly meant to resemble a bed. The clothes were neither practical nor comfortable: pink camisole, tan suit skirt and jacket, sheer pantyhose, and heels of all things (low heels: more like pumps actually, but still not really efficient when running for your life). But, Rose considered fairly, she'd been negotiating a treaty on the day that they'd taken her, not doing fieldwork, and that was sort of the dress protocol that Torchwood had in place for those sorts of things. Her handbag, which would have been incredibly helpful given her captive status and all of the wonderfully useful items that she carried inside it just in case, was noticeably absent. Shame!

In addition to the bed-slab thing, there was a small table with a meal on it; at least she assumed that the bottle of grayish liquid was supposed to be a meal. Ah, the joy of pureed proteins! But, if they'd wanted her out of it, they'd have kept her sedated, so Rose did the only thing she could under the circumstances. She wrinkled her nose and drank up. After all, if she was going to find a way out of this, she'd need as much strength as possible, and it wasn't all that bad actually. It sort of tasted like cabbage… sort of.

The second room was a bathroom with some sort of shower set-up. There was a plastic mirror on one wall that Rose initially thought might be a two-way; yeah, as if she was going to give her captors a show! But a little investigating revealed that it was thin and could be peeled back from the wall's surface like a sticker. Relieved, Rose inspected the small kit of shower and beauty supplies that had been left in the bathroom for her use, a comfort which Rose would have found rather odd had she not already surmised that this sort of thing, kidnapping and ransoming off intergalactic diplomats, was not the Cologians' standard MO.

Their government must really be desperate for funds, she considered broodingly, but that really wasn't her concern at the moment. At the moment, she had to find a way to get out of this mess, and a huge grin crossed her face when she discovered that there were a couple of things in the kit that might help her do just that.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	9. Chapter 8: Alien Baddies

CHAPTER 8: Alien Baddies

It had been a long and uncomfortable afternoon. The Delta Platform was little more than glorified space junk from all that Rose had been able to see. Granted, she hadn't been given the chance to see much. After the Cologians had docked, she'd been bound and escorted off the ship at blaster point.

Rose had hoped that she might be able to escape her captors on their way to the slave pits, but the populace of the space port had appeared generally unfriendly and unsympathetic, leering at her as she was paraded past. And the smells and sounds were not encouraging. A wholey disreputable place, she decided, and almost laughed when her mind jumped to the cantina scene from the original Star Wars from her home universe. Bah, she thought almost cheerily, where was Han Solo when you needed him?

But Rose Tyler was never really the type of girl who waited around for the hero to rush in and save the day. She was quite resourceful , and she had a few tricks up her sleeves or, more literally on this day, concealed in the hem of her skirt. She would just have to bide her time. Hence, the long, uncomfortable afternoon.

She'd been taken to a cell, one cell among hundreds, and her bound wrists were secured to a hook above her head. She'd cajoled a passing guard into explaining what was going to happen. Apparently, the prospective buyers would be given several hours to inspect the merchandise, by which Rose knew he meant the captives all around her, before the auction would commence in the evening.

And then it had begun: the parade of baddies. A steady stream of potential buyers moved throughout the cell block, some stopping to look at her or to question the guards about her, often making unsavory comments about her in the process. Granted, most of them didn't know that she could understand whatever it was that they were saying, but that didn't make it less demeaning or gross The guards would dutifully read off the information that they had on her from a computerized clipboard: Rose Tyler; home planet, earth; 26 years of age according to earth calendar; capable of child-bearing; fit for labor; high intelligence; specifically gifted in language translation and diplomacy. And, then, at the end of their litany about her was Rose's favorite part: potential threat of escape or insurgency, high.

Very few of the customers thought to address her personally, but some interactions couldn't be helped. For example, the Sycorax had deigned to stop by hoping to intimidate her and rubbing it in that she could look forward to a very bloody and very public death at their hands in the near future. And while it might have been prudent to hold her tongue, she just couldn't help herself with that lot. She'd smiled breezily and insulted their honor and their masculinity at the top of her voice and in the most common dialect she could muster (all in the hearing of several of their similarly-seeking-intergalactic-domination peers, she was happy to see). She went so far as to challenge the leader to a second swordfight, very bloody and very public, according to their traditional rules of combat. At which point, the Sycorax decided to preserve what little they could of their dignity and walk away with her hurling colorful insults at their brood mothers in their wake.

Many of the other interactions in which she participated left her similarly satisfied with herself. However, there was one particularly creepy interaction with a lizard-ish alien that just left her feeling like she needed a hot, hot shower. And as the hours passed, Rose concluded that being ogled and gloated over by such a series of perverts and petty warlords may just be the worst form of torture in the galaxy.

Finally, an alarm sounded, announcing to the buyers that the auction was about to start. Thank God! Rose thought. She surveyed the area around her cell; there was still a guard, but at the moment he was distracted by a cell that held a harem whose owner was planning to sell the whole lot at once. He'd gotten into some trouble gambling on the Xetecie Space Races, Rose had overheard earlier, and had to liquidate his assets fast. Of all the stupid bloody injustices, Rose thought furiously, but the sooner I get out of this, the sooner I can help.

She pulled gingerly at her restraints. Her muscles were tired and taunt from being positioned over her head, but she hoped that she could still pull this off. She turned her hands so that she could grip the front and back of the hook over which her tied wrists had been suspended. Then, she slipped out of her heels and gave a mighty jump, she flipped her lower body up so she could get her toes onto the cell wall behind her. From this egg-like position, ignoring the pain in her wrists where the ropes were now cutting into her skin, she gingerly removed a razor blade from the hem of her skirt. Then, she flipped down again, and slipped her shoes on before the guard had even turned around.

The prisoner in the next cell, an old man who'd been accused of stealing from his last master, was staring at her in wonder, and Rose smiled at him and made a soft shushing sound. Then, she got to work on her bonds.

0o0o0o0o0

Jack had no difficulty docking his ship. And after he'd paid for parking, he, Jake, and Mickey walked down the main thoroughfare towards the slave pits. On his ship, he'd warned Mickey and Jake that the majority of the aliens that they'd see wouldn't be humanoid or familiar. After all, it was only the twenty-first century and humanity hadn't yet begun to colonize. Heck, they'd barely made it past the solar system. But, he'd assured them that if they didn't draw attention to themselves by doing anything stupid, they shouldn't encounter any problems.

"Been here before then?" Mickey asked quietly between his teeth as he surveyed their dubious surroundings.

"Once or twice," Jack replied nonchalantly. "Why, don't you like it?"

"Not really. No," Mickey answered. "Doesn't seem like a very nice place."

"It's not. That's why we're not planning on being here very long. You boys might start to make the place respectable."

They continued walking through a nearly deserted market, but the rubbish left behind and number of venders seemed to indicate that the place was normally swarming. Suddenly, they heard a loud bell ring out over the platform's announcement system. "That'll be the last call for the auction," Jack explained. "We're almost at the slave pits, and that's where everyone will have gone. Just be prepared to keep your heads down and your mouths shut. It's not going to be pretty."

When they arrived at the slave pits, Jake and Mickey gasped at the spectacle before them. A crowd of several thousand aliens of various shapes and sizes were seated below them in a large amphitheater with a small stage at the focal point. At the top of the make-shift bleachers, several large brown aliens were checking in guests, collecting any weapons detected by their scanners and assigning auction numbers.

"Those are the Pecallix," Jack indicated the large bear-like creatures with a slight nod. "They're the crime family who run the Delta Platform and pretty much the whole of the Raddadish System. You could compare them to a mafia family back on earth, except for the fact that they've been in business since before humans started using tools. They're intimidating enemies to say the least." He looked hard at his companions. "You guys sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah." Mickey responded, his eyes serious but without fear.

"Absolutely," came from Jake who looked equally relaxed. "But how?"

Jack smiled at the apparent nerve of his two Torchwood associates. Maybe there was more to them after all. He turned on his heel and walked away from the pit with Mickey and Jake following, "Back door's this way."

0o0o0o0o0

A/N- Hope you guys are enjoying this one so far. I'm having fun. Please read and review.


	10. Chapter 9: Hell hath no fury

CHAPTER 9: Hell hath no fury…

Jack led Mickey and Jake down a narrow metal staircase and a series of hallways. Wherever they went, they passed cages full of aliens of various shapes and sizes. Mickey was amazed by the scope of it all. "There must be hundreds of them." He stated.

Jack was confused by the overt obviousness of this statement and replied with a confused, "Yeah?"

"They're all going to be auctioned off as slaves?" Mickey continued in disbelief.

"Yes. Well, most of them will be kept as slaves. Some of them, like your Rose, really managed to piss somebody off. Those'll likely be tortured and killed... But on the bright side, that's probably preferable to a lifetime of enslavement."

"Huh." Mickey grunted grimly. "I guess that's one way of looking at it. Still, I'm sure that Rose would prefer timely rescue to certain death or enslavement. How will we find…" But his question was cut off. They all heard the sound of heavy boots on metal grating and Jack held a finger to his lips.

Within moments, the guard who'd been doing a cursory sweep of the hallway was down, hit on the back of the head by Jack, and his automated info pad was in Jake's hands. Jake quickly imputed Rose's name and species. "This says she's in cell 19 in the Alpha block."

Jack nodded, "Figures," he said, "Alpha block is for the higher grossing lots. We're going in the right direction. Two more flights down and another corridor, and we're there. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, though. There're sure to be more guards along the way."

The trio proceeded cautiously, disabling three more guards as they approached Rose's cell. However, when they arrived they were surprised to find it empty, the door slightly ajar.

"Where is she?" Mickey asked frantically turning to Jack. "Where's Rose?"

Jack studied the empty cell with disbelief. It was cell 19, but there was no one inside it. "I don't know. It's not like the to break protocol and move a prisoner early. The know what they're doing; they won't bring out the slaves likely to garner the highest bids until the end. I can't think of any reason why they'd bring her out early." He looked at Jake who was still holding the computerized device. "Are you sure this is the right cell?"

"Yes," Jake responded readily, but he accessed the notepad again to double check.

And while the three men gazed at the lit screen, a voice behind them said, "Freeze. Turn around slowly and keep your hands visible," in a common tongue.

"Ah, crap," said Jack in English as he slowly lifted his hands and pivoted towards the guard who'd approached them from behind. "We've been caught boys," he translated to Mickey and Jake. "Turn around slowly and smile and try to think of a brilliant escape plan."

"Oh, I don't think a plan will be necessary, Captain," rang a voice from behind the guard, and Jack watched in astonishment as the voice's owner delivered a round-house kick to the back of the guard's head. "Your rescue is already underway," she continued cheekily as she disarmed the fallen guard and pulled his keys from his belt.

Then Rose Tyler stood confidently before them, looking nearly as polished and a business-like as she'd done in her interview with Jack weeks before, her business suit and heels standing out in stark relief against their surroundings. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her cheeks were flushed. Jack was momentarily stunned. In part, he was surprised at her competency in taking down the guard and coming to their rescue, but mostly he was stunned because he had forgotten how artless and carefree her beauty was—it literally made his breath catch.

"Good to see you, Rose." Jake said brightly.

"Likewise," she responded grinning. Then, she tossed the guard's keys to Mickey.

"What'd you do?" He asked playfully. "Seduce one of the guards?"

"Nah," she poked her tongue through her teeth in a delighted smile. "Hair pin."

"Ah." Mickey nodded his understanding. "So what are these for?" He asked holding up the keys.

"Prison break," was her swift reply. "You and Jake get as many out as you can."

"And just what will you be up to?" Jake asked raising an eyebrow.

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "I can't say that I think much of this place, so I thought I just might disable it. After all, the slave trade is a pretty nasty business. Mickey, would you toss me your watch? And Jake, can you get that thing," she gestured towards the info pad, "To access this thing's schematics?"

Mickey tossed her his watch without question while Jake attempted to retrieve the data that she'd requested on the pad. She turned to Jack who was observing their interchange with a dumbfounded expression. "Jack, I must say, I didn't expect to see you. Have you got any psychic paper on you?"

"Yes." He was clearly confused.

"Good. I need you to go out to the auction block and create a distraction. Something that will give Mickey and Jake time to free as many prisoners as possible and that will generate enough chaos so that no one'll notice that they're doing it 'til well after it's done..."

"Are you crazy?" Jack asked, finding his voice. "We came here to rescue you, not to pick a fight with the . We aren't staging a prison break. We're just going to try to slip out of here unnoticed."

Rose ignored him as she continued, "Oh, I know. Tell them that you're a Time Agent working in conjunction with the Judoon, and that the Judoon will be arriving at any moment to arrest a murder suspect. That should encite chaos enough, I imagine, as I'm sure more than one alien on this platform is wanted for something. That's good. It'll lead to an evacuation, and I want as many people as possible to try and get off of this thing…"

"Rose," Jack interrupted and grabbed her arms to get her attention. "We're leaving now. You, me, Mickey, and Jake. I told your parents that I'd get you back home in one piece, and God help me that's what I intend to do if I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you kicking and screaming the whole way."

Rose freed her arms from his loose hold and addressed him levelly, her brown eyes burning dangerously. "I realize that you hardly know me Jack, so let me make two things very plain: one, I'm not going anywhere yet and, two, I don't respond well to threats. So you can either take your psychic paper and go start a riot up on the auction block which will make it much easier for Mickey and Jake to free the prisoners and for me to safely disable this orbiting cesspool without detection, or you can go wait for us on your ship. Whatever you decide, we," she nodded her head to include Mickey and Jake, "Will meet you there in… " She paused to look at Mickey's watch. "Fifteen minutes," she finished.

"Jake?" Rose asked reaching for the computer pad.

"Here, Rose. I brought up the schematics. It looks like the central control systems are in the lower levels. If you handicap these stabilizers and destroy these couplings, this platform's orbit will disintegrate and it'll fall into the system's central star within 14 hours, give or take…"

"Great," she answered staring at the chart on the screen.

Jake hit another button on the pad. "I've programmed in your routes. This one will get you to the control system." He pushed a button, "And this one will get you back to where we parked."

She nodded, checked the weapon that she'd picked up from the guard, and looked at Mickey's watch in her hand. "Fifteen minutes." And she disappeared down a corridor.

Jack stood there dumbly. This plan was insane. Destroying the Delta Platform was tantamount to declaring war with the family. He looked to Mickey hoping to see some sign that he'd support him if he chased Rose down and carried out his threat of forcing her back to the ship, but Mickey just shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, Mate," he said. "But I did warn you that it's no easy thing knowing Rose Tyler."

"No, you said it was no easy thing _loving _Rose Tyler."

Mickey looked a bit wistful: "Same thing, Jack." And then he turned to follow Jake who'd already begun unlocking cells and herding prisoners.

TO BE CONTINUED...

AN- Sorry about the length of time between posts. I've been having computer issues. Hope you enjoyed this update, and please review if you've got the time.


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